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Before Aaron Judge was the face of the New York Yankees, he was just another face - quite literally.
During his incredible 2017 rookie season, Judge sat in New York's bustling Bryant Park for a Jimmy Fallon segment wearing just a pair of glasses as a disguise.
The outfielder was able to fool unsuspecting Yankees fans into thinking he was just another MLB devotee - and his face wasn't the only thing being forgotten.
'Adam Judge,' one fan responded when the player flashed a picture of himself asking the fan who it was. 'I think he's gonna be a superstar.'
To many, such a mistake might have been a blow to their ego. But Judge seemed to revel in the anonymity he was afforded.
Eight record-breaking years later, the baseball star has proven that fan's prediction. Judge, 33, is now performing as one of the all-time MLB greats. And he's doing it on a nine-year, $360 million contract.
Aaron Judge (pictured) is a superstar on the field, but is trying his hardest to be private away from it
The Bronx goes wild after Judge's three-run homer against the Blue Jays on Tuesday night (pictured)
On Tuesday night, he showed his worth once again, bringing the Yankees back from the brink of playoff elimination with a three-run home run to spark an almighty comeback against the Toronto Blue Jays.
But while he has gained the kind of superstardom many can only dream of - he has also lost that rookie-season anonymity.
A source close to the player told the Daily Mail: 'Aaron has always been a guy who has stuck to himself. And once his popularity rose, he just stuck to that and chooses to be a family man now when he is away from his Yankees duties.
'He's known his wife [since high school], and she knows the real Aaron, and he cherishes that about her... She has been there for him through every facet of his career and important moments of his life.
'He knows that he is very lucky to be living the life he has, and has never wanted to ruin it. He never goes out, especially now that he is a superstar because it is and has been way too much to handle... he doesn't like all the attention it brings, and he doesn't want to put any unneeded attention toward his family. His wife doesn't have any joy to be a star herself - she's perfectly happy with the way things have gone.'
The bright lights of sporting stardom are a world away from the small California town where Judge was raised by his adoptive parents - schoolteachers who welcomed him into their home when he was just two days old. Even now, he is known to be extremely close with them.
They were by his side as he decided to pursue baseball - having also shown great promise in basketball and football as a youngster. On the rare occasions when he speaks about their relationship, it is always with glowing praise and admiration.
In December 2021, Judge and his wife Samantha Bracksieck tied the knot in an extremely intimate ceremony in Hawaii (pictured)
Judge is pictured with his wife (right), and parents Patty (second from left) and Wayne (left), in October 2023
It was in his hometown of Linden where Judge also met his wife, Samantha Bracksieck. The pair tied the knot in an incredibly intimate ceremony in Hawaii in December 2021, with just a small group of close personal friends and family in attendance.
The secrecy behind the nuptials, and the very close-knit group of guests, couldn't have been in greater contrast to Judge's career. On the field, in front of thousands of fans, he is the ultimate showman. Yet, when it comes to his personal life and family, that couldn't be further from the truth.
In the years since he shot into the spotlight with a record-breaking rookie season, Judge has attempted to guard his private life closely. He has offered fans just a few small glimpses into his world away from Yankee Stadium, both in interviews and on Instagram.
'He treats his career with as much professionalism as possible,' the source told the Daily Mail. 'He has been able to survive the New York lifestyle and being on the Yankees because he has remained grounded by his parents, and mom especially.'
His mom often joins him for public appearances and responsibilities outside of baseball, the source said.
'He never has been one to be the party guy. He wants to always be the one to do what he has to do, enjoy life and not get out of hand. He's built by family and faith, and the rest just comes naturally.
'If he keeps his head down and continues to excel in baseball, that will make him happy, because the rest of his life is so well off. If he were to ever win a World Series, it would be the icing on the cake... and to think he is only 33. He has a lifetime ahead of him to continue to enjoy as it has been unreal already.'
During his 2017 rookie season, Judge sat in New York's bustling Bryant Park in 'disguise' (pictured)
The Yankees superstar and his wife are extremely private, but he was waiting for her at the finish line of the New York Marathon in Central Park in November 2023 (pictured)
Where it all began
While Judge is now arguably one of the greatest players in the sport, it wasn't always a foregone conclusion that he would pursue professional baseball.
While attending Linden High School in California, Judge excelled as a three-sport athlete dominating in baseball, football and basketball.
On the baseball field, he hit a .500 average and thrived as a pitcher during his senior year. He was also a star football player and caught 17 touchdowns as a senior, setting a single-season school record while recording 969 receiving yards.
When it came to basketball, Judge was a force yet again. Growing into a six-foot-six-inch, 205 pound frame by his sophomore year, according to Bleacher Report, he would go on to be named an all-state center as a senior.
But despite his prowess on the court, and the many football recruiting offers he received from powerhouses including Stanford and Notre Dame, Judge eventually settled on baseball.
'Growing up, I always thought I'd be a basketball player because I was so tall,' he told local newspaper The Record after graduating from high school.
When Judge was just two days old, he was adopted by his parents - school teachers Patty and Wayne (pictured center) - something he didn't find out about until he was 10 years old
A few times a year, Samantha (left) and Aaron (right) are spotted out and about in NYC - here they attend the US Open tennis tournament in Queens in September 2022
While attending Linden High School as a teen in California, Judge excelled as a three-sport athlete, dominating in baseball - as well as football and basketball too. Pictured: Judge as a child playing baseball
'When it came to my junior year, I started getting a lot of letters for football. But once... I started going to a lot of baseball camps I knew, "This is what I'm going to go with."'
And while he spent much of his time focusing on sports, Judge explained to MLB.com that his parents ensured he also spent time on school.
'They wanted me to always make sure I put education first and make sure I prioritized everything,' he said. 'If I was going to make plans, [they made sure I stuck] to them. [They made] sure I was on a tight schedule and made sure I didn't miss anything. It's helped me try to live to a higher standard.'
While he recognized the positive impact it has had on him now, Judge wasn't always a fan of their strict parenting style.
'I wanted to go outside and play with my friends or play some video games, but they were tough on me.
'They'd say, "Hey, you've got homework to do... Then if you have time left over before dinner, you can go play." Something like that. I didn't like it as a kid, but looking back on it, I really appreciate what they did for me.'
Judge would go on to star at Fresno State before eventually working his way through the Yankees minor league system up to the majors.
But to reduce Judge's journey to a classic grit-and-grind sports tale would be to ignore another major fortune in his life.
When Judge was just two days old, he was adopted by his parents - school teachers Patty and Wayne Judge - something he didn't find out about until he was 10 years old.
Judge flirted with basketball and football before deciding to become a baseball player
Pictured: Judge wears a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey while attending an NFL game with wife Sam
'I think it was like, "I don't look like you, Mom. I don't look like you, Dad. Like, what's going on here?"' he recalled in the interview. [is this MLB.com or the Post?]
'They just kind of told me I was adopted. I was like, "OK, that's fine with me. You're still my mom, the only mom I know. You're still my dad, the only dad I know."
'Nothing really changed. I honestly can't even remember too much, because it wasn't that big of a deal. They just told me I was adopted, and I said, "OK, can I go outside and play?"'
The Yankee has continuously spoken highly of his parents, stating during a 2015 interview that he is 'blessed' to have the pair in his life.
'I feel they kind of picked me,' Judge told the New York Post about the topic. 'I feel that God was the one that matched us together.'
'We're more blessed than he is,' Patty told the outlet. 'Really, it was all meant to be.'
After he broke into the sport, he later reflected on how Patty helped him get to that point.
'I know I wouldn't be a New York Yankee if it wasn't for my mom,' he told MLB.com in 2017.
'The guidance she gave me as a kid growing up, knowing the difference from right and wrong, how to treat people and how to go the extra mile and put in extra work, all that kind of stuff. She's molded me into the person that I am today.'
Judge has never had any contact with his biological parents, and has another adopted brother, John, 36, who lives in Korea teaching English.
Judge's sports breakthrough
While he rose in popularity, Judge (seen in 2020) did his best to keep his personal life out of the spotlight
The athlete shined bright while attending California State University, Fresno. He helped his team win the WAC Tournament in 2011, and led them in home runs, doubles and RBIs.
He was drafted by the Yankees minor league in 2013, and he then signed a $1.8 million contract. However, he suffered from an injury and wasn't able to participate that season.
Judge played for the Yankees minor leagues from 2014 until 2016, when he was promoted to the major leagues. During his 2017 rookie season, he broke many records - he hit a home run with the fastest exit velocity in history at the time, and earned recognition for hitting the longest home run of the season.
He also broke the record for the most home runs hit in one season - a whopping 52, surpassing the previous record held by Babe Ruth.
By 2019, he became the third-fastest MLB player to hit 100 home runs and had the highest exit velocity average (95.9 miles per hour) of the entire major league.
But while he rose in popularity, Judge did his best to keep his personal life out of the spotlight. He rarely did interviews and has just 350 posts on his Instagram account, most of which pertain to baseball or an advertising campaign shared by his management team.
The 33-year-old lives a low-key life off the baseball diamond, avoiding bars and nightclubs and successfully steering clear of the gossip columns.
Judge gave a rare glimpse into his private life with a photo of Samantha and their newborn (pictured)
The one thing fans do know about Judge is that he is dedicated to giving back. He told The Record in 2010 that one of his 'favorite things to do' was volunteering to pick up garbage with his high school basketball teammates.
The slugger has also provided grants to schools in New York and California through his organization, All Rise Foundation, which is committed to 'inspiring children and youth to become responsible citizens by engaging them in activities that encourage them to reach unlimited possibilities,' according to its website.
'His mother and I just wanted him to be a really good person,' the athlete's father, Wayne, once said.
Judge has also proved to be a bit of a sneakerhead, wearing Jordans during the MLB All-Star weekend in 2021, donning custom cleats on various occasions, and even spending about $5,000 on nine pairs of sneakers in an episode of Sneaker Shopping.
'The name of the game now is kind of designing your own cleats, putting your own little touch and design, and your own little style in the game,' he told Complex this year.
Judge married his longtime girlfriend, Bracksieck (seen in Hawaii before their wedding), in December 2021
Judge's love life: Inside MLB star's marriage to his notoriously private wife Samantha
Pictured: The couple are caught by paparazzi after stepping out in New York in December 2023
A few times a year he and Samantha will step out and about in New York, attending the US Open tennis tournament most summers, sitting courtside at Knicks games on occasion, or enjoying a quiet dinner in Midtown Manhattan.
Life is mostly quiet, though - especially since Samantha gave birth to their first child, Nora Rose Judge, in January.
Back in May, Judge shared a very rare insight into their private life with a Mother's Day tribute to Samantha. He posted a photo of her holding their newborn.
The family of three, plus dogs, live most of the year in a plush penthouse apartment at The Cortland in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood.
Judge bought the home at 555 West 22nd St in early 2023. It sits at the top of the 25-story building and features incredible views of the Hudson River.
The purchase came shortly after the slugger signed a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees. He will be in his 40s before the deal runs out.
The couple also own a home in Tampa, Florida, close to where the Yankees hold Spring Training every year.
Judge (right) and Samantha (left) attend events together
As for how it all began, the pair first dated in high school and college before eventually breaking up and later reuniting in 2019.
However, Bracksieck's 'extreme DUI' charge in 2020 - where she was captured on body cam footage name-dropping her famous boyfriend - put a dent in Judge's much-valued privacy ploy.
'You don’t know who my boyfriend is, this is going to be so bad,' she reportedly said. 'My boyfriend is not in a spot where I should be, like, having this happen. He’s like a public figure. So, like, me being arrested for, like, having two glasses of wine is not OK.'
'[Derek] Jeter was private, but didn't mind his name being out there. He was showboat private,' a source told the New York Post after the arrest. 'Aaron is the total opposite. He is quiet quiet. The arrest had to be a gut punch to him.'
Nonetheless, the two got married in an intimate Hawaii ceremony in December 2021.
Paparazzi did get a shot of their kiss at the altar, though, with the images spreading far and wide in the days that followed.
Since then, the pair have only strengthened.
In all, the Yankees superstar is at the peak of his powers in every respect - hitting home runs for the team and keeping his family close away from the field.
